


Take a Break

by avengersandco



Series: Superheroes, Superhusbands, and Superparents [4]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Arguing, Kid Fic, M/M, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Studying, Superfamily, Superfamily (Marvel), Superhusbands, Superhusbands (Marvel), Teenagers, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 12:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14568789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengersandco/pseuds/avengersandco
Summary: Steve and Tony come back from a short weekend away and come back to teenagers who have been cramming for their AP tests. The parents decide it's time for the kids to take a break.





	Take a Break

“Do you think they burned the place down?” Tony asked his husband as they stepped into the elevator, heading to the penthouse.

“I doubt it. Rhodey was with them till this morning, and it’s barely 1pm. They’re probably not even out of bed.”

“Umm, have you met your daughter? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in bed past 9am unless she was deathly ill.” Steve chuckled at his husband's concern, pulling him in with one arm, landing a kiss on his head.

“They’re fine babe. We were only gone for a few days.”

“I know, I know. It’s just,” Tony sighed, shoulders sagging and a headache starting to form, leaving what he was saying open, knowing his husband knew what he was talking about.

“I know Tony. It was a rough couple of months. But they’re all better, or at least enough that we can leave them with the team for a few days so that we can have the break so we can focus on just us.” Tony knew his husband was right. From Peter becoming Spider-man, Matt getting diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and Isabel and Tony’s major fight, not even including other things such as Avengers stuff, to say the year had been a stressful one was just the type of the iceberg. But things had calmed down for a few weeks, so the rest of the team, Pepper, and even the kids had pushed for them to have a weekend to themselves. It was nice while they were there, but they weren’t allowed to contact anyone from home, Rhodey promising to call if there was any sort of emergency, so Tony’s nerves came back like a whirlwind the moment they entered the tower.

“Don’t worry,” Steve interrupted Tony’s train of thought, “We can make them sit and watch movies with us for the rest of the day to make up for not seeing us all weekend.” Tony laughed, like the sound of the idea.

The elevator finally dinged, and they walked out and into the penthouse. It was quiet, and no one was there to welcome them. Not that Tony was expecting it or anything. He was about to ask Friday where they were when they saw Matt bounding down the hallway, looking slightly out of breath.

“Hey, dad. Pops. How was the trip?” Matt asked, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and a tight smile.

“It was good,” Tony responded, instantly suspicious of his oldest. “Where are the other two?”

Matt looked down, biting his lip, and Tony was about to press further before Steve beat him to the punch.

“Matthew, where are your siblings?”

“They’re fine. Why are you to so worried? I thought this weekend was supposed to be about you two relaxing.” Matt said, the usual confidence in his voice wavering a bit. Tony took a deep breath, counting to ten in his head, before making eye contact with his son.

“A) that’s not what we asked, b) not convincing, and c) the way you are acting does not make me feel like I can relax. So I will ask again, where are they?”  
Matt’s shoulders slumped at that, as he rubbed his eyes and groaned. “They’re in my room. It’s just been a really… long weekend. And they’re not in danger or anything, but just,” he didn’t really finish what he said, though both his parents were getting the idea that a minor concern for the twins was necessary.

“What happened?” Steve asked.

“Well, AP testing starts tomorrow,” and with that Tony already knew where he was going with it.

“And they haven’t slept or eaten anything substantial since we left.”

“I mean, Uncle Rhodey made us have dinner together every night, but other than that, pretty much. I saw Peter nap a few times, but I’m pretty sure Isabel’s blood content is just caffeine at this point. I’ve been trying to get them to take breaks, but you know how they are when they study together.” Matt explained, looking more and more drained as he talked, and Tony felt for him, pulling him into a hug.

“We know you tried your best, but you also have to take care of yourself. Have you at least been taking care of yourself?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to risk a manic or depressive episode during AP’s, so I’ve been making sure to eat and sleep and take breaks.” Even as he said that though Tony could see the bags under his eyes, and the energy he usually held was gone. Steve stepped closer as well, carding his hand through his son’s hair.

“That’s good thinking buddy, I’m proud of you.” Steve said, “Now why don’t you go lay down on the couch. We’ll go get Peter and Isabel and everyone can have a break while we watch a movie together and eat a late lunch.”

“Good luck with that,” Matt said as he pulled away from his parents. “They’re both freaking out, and Isabel still isn’t thrilled with you guys.”

“We’ll deal with them, you just go relax. I love you,” Tony said, hearing an, ‘I love you too’ as his son walk to the living room. Tony sighed once he was out of sight, turning back to Steve.

“Time to get the other two,” he said, leading the way to Matt’s room. Opening the door, they saw their two youngest, both looking not their best. Isabel was sitting at the desk, messy bun and glasses on, with a book in one hand, a highlighter in the other, and a pen in her mouth. Peter was staring at sticky notes on a wall that he seemed to be messing with, papers surrounding him on the floor, with his hair a mess and still in his pajamas. Soft classical music was being played in the background, and neither had looked up when their parents entered the room.

“Is this what you guys were doing that was so important, you couldn’t come out and say hi to us after we were gone for three days?” Steve asked, finally getting their attention.

“Hey, guys. How was the trip?” Peter asked, having already turned back around to the wall of sticky notes.

“It was good,” Tony said, moving into the room more. He looked over Isabel’s shoulder to see what she was reading, though he couldn’t quite tell. “Is this all you guys have been doing since we left?”

“AP tests start this week.” Was all Isabel had to say, though Peter continued.  
“Mostly, but we had dinner with Uncle Rhodey every night, and we’ve been taking breaks.”

“Have those breaks included sleep and food, or have they just been coffee and using the bathroom?” Tony asked, noticing a lot of coffee mugs around the room. “How many cups have you guys had?”

“Not enough,” Isabel mumbled, having pulled the pen out of her mouth to write a note in the book, before returning to her original position.

“Well,” Steve said, “now that we’re back we think it’s time for a break. Eat some lunch and watch a movie and nap, and then you guys can get back to studying.”

“Thanks, Pops, but we really have a lot we still need to do,” Peter said, and Tony was the one to respond.

“Wasn’t a question kiddo. Matt said you two weren’t taking any breaks, so now we’re making you take one. Besides, it’s not healthy or useful to study without any breaks.”

“But-“

“When are your firsts tests? Each of you?” Steve asked.

“Mine’s Tuesday afternoon, and hers is Wednesday morning.”

“Then both of you have a good amount more time to study, so you guys are going to leave the study materials, and you’re going to take a break, and we’ll eat lunch and watch a movie and then you can both come back to studying before bed.” Peter still didn’t seem convinced by Steve’s words, so he continued.

“We’re not asking you to stop studying and go into the test as is. You guys just need a break. Breaks are good so that you don't overload yourself. And besides, you both probably know most of the material later. A few hours aren’t going to kill you.” After a moment of consideration, Peter finally relented.

“I guess a movie and some real food does sound kind of nice.”

“It does. Now leave everything and lets head out of here. It’ll still be here when you come back.” Steve said. Peter nodded and headed out of the room. Isabel though, still had yet to budge. Tony put a hand on her shoulder to try and get her attention, but she just shrugged it off, making him sigh.

“Isabel, you need to take a break.”

“No, I need to understand this material.”

“I’m sure taking a few hours break won’t stop you from doing that later.”

“Or I could just do it now.”

“Isabel.” It was Steve saying her name that finally got her to look up, and she looked right at him with big eyes and a distressed look on her face.

“Papa I really need to learn this. I’ve been really trying hard but it’s just not sinking in and I really need it too. You know how hard it is for me to get through the reading material, and I just want to do well on the test,” Isabel explained, looking like she was about to fall apart. Tony himself could see straight through it, which was probably why it wasn’t directed at him, but rather Steve, who now looked like he was about to break, which Tony couldn’t let happen. Tony walked up to his husband, making sure Steve’s eyes were on him, and whispered to his husband.

“Steve, babe. Why don’t you go get lunch ready? Isabel and I will be out in a bit.” Tony smiled at his husband, who looked uncertain.

“Are you sure? Maybe she could study for a bit more?” Tony shook his head.

“She needs a break, but I got it. I promise. You make lunch for the five of us and Isabel and I will be there by the time you’re done.” Tony ended it with a kiss and a smile. There was a pause from Steve before he nodded in agreement

“Yeah, okay, you’re right. I’ll go get lunch started.”

“Thank you, love you.”

“Love you too,” Steve said with one last kiss before he left the room. Tony turned back to see that Isabel had gone back to the book she was reading. He walked towards her and got on to his knees next to her, so they were closer to eye level.

“Bella bear, I need you to look at me,” Tony said softly, putting a hand on her back to try and get her attention.

“I need to finish this.”

“Please look at me, Isabel.”

“I’m studying,”

“Put the book down for a few minutes and look and talk to me, or I’m taking the book and you’ll get it back tomorrow.” At the threat, Isabel finally looked at him. It was the first good look he got at her face, and it made him realize how worn out she actually was.

“Sweetheart, you need to take a break from the studying.”

“I really don’t. I need to finish this book and then study more.” She said steadily, trying to match his tone.

“It’s okay to take breaks. They’re good for studying in the long run because you can take in more information.”

“That would require me to actually be absorbing the information now.”

“Even more of a reason to take a break now.” And that’s when she snapped.

“No, dad! I need to finish this book now so I can get through the rest of the material in the next few days. I’m already behind because everything is taking longer than I was expecting. So I’d really just like to go back to studying.” Isabel said, turning back to her book. While Tony was sympathetic to her frustrations, he knew she couldn’t keep doing this, and she needed to understand.

“Look at me again please.”

“What?” She asked, still looking at the book.

“Isabel, please.” Finally, she turned to look at him again. He smiled at her, a warm one, trying to convey that he wasn’t the enemy here, and he wasn’t trying to just be mean.

“How much sleep have you gotten since your father and I left on Thursday?”

“A bit.”

“And how many cups of coffee have you had since then?”

“A couple.” Tony nodded, pretending to think a bit.

“A bit of sleep and a couple cups of coffee. Not very specific, but I’m willing to bet that it actually means that you’ve had more cups of coffee than actual hours of sleep in that time span.” Tony said casually, doing his best to not sound accusatory. Isabel shrugged.

“Even if it were, you’d be a bit of a hypocrite for getting mad at me about it,” Isabel said, crossing her arms and doing her best to avoid eye contact with Tony.

“I’m not mad at you at all, just trying to get you to understand. And I was an adult when I made those poor decisions because I didn’t have anyone who loved me the way your papa and I do, who made me do things I don’t always want to in order to take care of myself when I was your age.” Tony said, rubbing her back as he talked. She still wouldn’t look at him, but she hadn’t moved away from the touch either.

“Okay, I’ll make you a deal.” Isabel turned to look at him as the words left his mouth, though she looked suspicious.

“Knowing Friday as well as I do, considering I created her and everything, I’m betting she kept track of exactly how much coffee you drank and how much sleep you got. So, you can either come with me to take a break from studying now, and you can eat and watch a movie and take a nap, and then go back to studying after; I’ll even help you study and do a practice exam with you if you’d like. Or, I can ask Friday exactly how much coffee and sleep you’ve had the past few days, and if you’ve had more cups of coffee than you have hours of sleep, then you’ll be taking a break until after school tomorrow so you can catch up on sleep and get some of the caffeine out of your system.” Isabel looked at him wide-eyed as he finished speaking.

“That’s over 24 hours from now!”

“Then you better just come with me now, and then I won’t know how little sleep you got and make you start catching up right away.” Isabel sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to budge on this. He watched as she thought for a minute, before finally speaking up.

“You promise you’ll help me study after?” Tony smiled at that and nodded.

“Not that you need it, because you’re probably a lot more prepared than you realize, but yes. I will absolutely help you in any way you need. Though you will still be going to sleep at a reasonable time tonight.” After another moment, Isabel let her shoulders slump but got out of her chair.

“I guess I’ll just take a break,” She said, though she still seemed reluctant to the idea. Tony smile though, and pulled her into a hug, kissing her on top of her head.

“I’m glad, bear. Now let's go see what Steve made for lunch, and I’m sure the boys have a movie picked out already.” At that, they left the room, heading towards the living room with everyone else. Steve was just setting up some sandwiches, fruit, and popcorn on the coffee table when Tony and Isabel came in.

“Took you guys long enough,” Matt said from his spot in one of the large recliner chairs. Isabel just rolled her eyes at him and moved to cuddle up against Steve on the couch.

“Have you guys picked a movie yet?” Tony asked, as he moved towards Peter, who was lying down on the other end of the couch.

“ _Mrs. Doubtfire_ ,” Peter told him as Tony sat down next to him.

“Yeah, Pops vetoed _Birdcage_ , so we went with another Robin Williams classic,” Matt explained.

“ _Mrs. Doubtfire_ is a perfect movie. Everyone grab some food, and Friday, start the movie and dim the lights.” Everyone quickly grabbed some food to keep them full, just as the movie started. The kids all settled in quietly, Matt watching intently from his spot on the chair, Peter happily eating as Tony brushed his hand through his hair, and Isabel already starting to look like she was dozing off as she snuggled closer into Steve.

Tony couldn’t help but smile at this picture of all of them, content and together. He couldn’t help but think that as great as breaks are, nothing can beat family time.


End file.
